1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods and systems that observe and determine individual behavioral patterns for answering calls, and that use those patterns to intelligently terminate calls.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, default call termination behavior is similar for all calls to a called device. Typically, the called device rings for a certain amount of time, then either goes to voicemail or disconnects the call attempt if it's not answered. For example, the ring duration may be between 10 to 40 seconds. However, treating each call the same is not efficient as ring durations may be very different depending on the called party's preferences. Some people answer quickly while others let the phone ring and never answer. Some never answer during work hours, while others never answer during off work hours.
The disparity between a fixed ring duration and variable real-life call termination patterns creates inefficiencies. For example, some calls could have been connected but fail to be connected because the ring terminated too quickly; the network resources are busy trying to reach the destination for a fixed duration of time resulting in a waste of network resources; a caller may waste time having to wait for long periods of time if the called party will never answer the call anyway; redundant calls when the caller will need to call back to try again to reach the called party; and the like.
In addition, some technologies support signaling to multiple destinations. That is, multiple devices may be associated with a single phone number or other communication identifier. In some situations a primary/preferred destination may be predefined, for example, GSM defines primary and secondary destinations. However, there may not be a single preferred device/destination for all situations since the preferred device for a call may change depending on various conditions/information associated with the call and the user.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for more intelligent and contextually aware termination methods and systems that observe and determine individual behavioral patterns for terminating calls.